Now it's time for the one that really counts -- the readers' poll from the Star-Bulletin & MidWeek, the publications that combined reach more readers in Hawaii each week than any others.
We asked you to let us know your favorites in four categories: Shopping & Retail, Services, Entertainment, and Restaurants & Food. You let us know in the large numbers that give this poll authority and meaning.
Thanks to all of you who took the time to mark your favorites. It's because of you and your thoughtful participation that our annual poll -- and this is the sixth! -- receives all the attention that it does.
So sit back, relax and see how your favorites compare with those of other readers.
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2009 Edition
2007 Edition
2006 Edition
2004 Edition
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Hawaii's Best Restaurants
Best Restaurants 2006
Best Restaurants 2005
Best Restaurants 2004
Monday, June 30, 2008
Sunday, June 22, 2008
How Obama Inspires
Over the past several years, I have been interviewing, observing, and writing about business, academic, and political leaders who have the ability to influence their audience—leaders who fire up the rest of us. Senator Barack Obama (D-Ill.) is one of them. For a look at what makes Obama's public speaking skills so effective, I outline four techniques he's mastered and explain ways to use them in your own repertoire. -- Carmine Gallo
* * *
We know the battle ahead will be long. But always remember that, no matter what obstacles stand in our way, nothing can stand in the way of the power of millions of voices calling for change.
We have been told we cannot do this by a chorus of cynics. And they will only grow louder and more dissonant in the weeks and months to come.
We've been asked to pause for a reality check. We've been warned against offering the people of this nation false hope. But in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope.
(APPLAUSE)
For when we have faced down impossible odds, when we've been told we're not ready or that we shouldn't try or that we can't, generations of Americans have responded with a simple creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes, we can. Yes, we can. Yes, we can.
It was a creed written into the founding documents that declared the destiny of a nation: Yes, we can.
It was whispered by slaves and abolitionists as they blazed a trail towards freedom through the darkest of nights: Yes, we can.
It was sung by immigrants as they struck out from distant shores and pioneers who pushed westward against an unforgiving wilderness: Yes, we can.
It was the call of workers who organized, women who reached for the ballot, a president who chose the moon as our new frontier, and a king who took us to the mountaintop and pointed the way to the promised land: Yes, we can, to justice and equality.
Yes, we can, to opportunity and prosperity. Yes, we can heal this nation. Yes, we can repair this world. Yes, we can.
And so, tomorrow, as we take the campaign south and west, as we learn that the struggles of the textile workers in Spartanburg are not so different than the plight of the dishwasher in Las Vegas, that the hopes of the little girl who goes to the crumbling school in Dillon are the same as the dreams of the boy who learns on the streets of L.A., we will remember that there is something happening in America, that we are not as divided as our politics suggest, that we are one people, we are one nation.
And, together, we will begin the next great chapter in the American story, with three words that will ring from coast to coast, from sea to shining sea: Yes, we can.
(on the other hand)
* * *
We know the battle ahead will be long. But always remember that, no matter what obstacles stand in our way, nothing can stand in the way of the power of millions of voices calling for change.
We have been told we cannot do this by a chorus of cynics. And they will only grow louder and more dissonant in the weeks and months to come.
We've been asked to pause for a reality check. We've been warned against offering the people of this nation false hope. But in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope.
(APPLAUSE)
For when we have faced down impossible odds, when we've been told we're not ready or that we shouldn't try or that we can't, generations of Americans have responded with a simple creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes, we can. Yes, we can. Yes, we can.
It was a creed written into the founding documents that declared the destiny of a nation: Yes, we can.
It was whispered by slaves and abolitionists as they blazed a trail towards freedom through the darkest of nights: Yes, we can.
It was sung by immigrants as they struck out from distant shores and pioneers who pushed westward against an unforgiving wilderness: Yes, we can.
It was the call of workers who organized, women who reached for the ballot, a president who chose the moon as our new frontier, and a king who took us to the mountaintop and pointed the way to the promised land: Yes, we can, to justice and equality.
Yes, we can, to opportunity and prosperity. Yes, we can heal this nation. Yes, we can repair this world. Yes, we can.
And so, tomorrow, as we take the campaign south and west, as we learn that the struggles of the textile workers in Spartanburg are not so different than the plight of the dishwasher in Las Vegas, that the hopes of the little girl who goes to the crumbling school in Dillon are the same as the dreams of the boy who learns on the streets of L.A., we will remember that there is something happening in America, that we are not as divided as our politics suggest, that we are one people, we are one nation.
And, together, we will begin the next great chapter in the American story, with three words that will ring from coast to coast, from sea to shining sea: Yes, we can.
(on the other hand)
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Free books
Only Books World [link via frwr-news] has a few interesting books in pdf format. (Not totally sure how legal this site is though.)
Here's a few titles that caught my eye:
How Would You Move Mount Fuji?
50 Self-Help Classics
Living the 80/20 Way
* * *
Googling came up with this page of the Best Places to Get Free Books - The Ultimate Guide
*** [4/10/10 on a tip from pat@chucks_angels]
Free books you can read on the Kindle (or PC)
Here's a few titles that caught my eye:
How Would You Move Mount Fuji?
50 Self-Help Classics
Living the 80/20 Way
* * *
Googling came up with this page of the Best Places to Get Free Books - The Ultimate Guide
*** [4/10/10 on a tip from pat@chucks_angels]
Free books you can read on the Kindle (or PC)
Jack La Lanne
Seventy-eight years ago La Lanne experienced a dramatic conversion to the simple yet arduous way of life to which he has faithfully devoted himself. Because he feels exercising and eating sensibly literally saved his life, he has little patience with health or fitness shortcuts. He advocates consistent exercise and eating well. He believes all other approaches are false doctrines that will lead to disappointment.
The simplicity of his approach to health and his infectious enthusiasm for fitness have won him millions of devoted followers. His charisma and his muscular body make his message palatable and convincing.
-- Costco Connection, January 2008
The simplicity of his approach to health and his infectious enthusiasm for fitness have won him millions of devoted followers. His charisma and his muscular body make his message palatable and convincing.
-- Costco Connection, January 2008
Monday, June 09, 2008
my new camera
After 9 years of using my Sony Mavica FD (which stands for floppy disk) I figured it was time for a new camera, especially with Christie graduating. (And actually I haven't used any camera for a number of months now.) Actually I had a Fuji FinePix too, but that ain't working well if at all now.
I was looking at the Amazon reviews at the cameras on sale at Circuit City, the Canon Powershot A470 in particular, I noticed somebody talking about the Kodak Z712. The feature that grabbed me is the 12x zoom. My Sony has a 10x and I felt that I didn't want to take a step back by getting a 3x which is what most of the budget cameras have these days.
Anyway, I'm still playing with it. But I like it so far. Though I'm somewhat disappointed at its performance at distance shots (or shots without flash) in low light conditions.
Here's the review at DC Resource.
I was looking at the Amazon reviews at the cameras on sale at Circuit City, the Canon Powershot A470 in particular, I noticed somebody talking about the Kodak Z712. The feature that grabbed me is the 12x zoom. My Sony has a 10x and I felt that I didn't want to take a step back by getting a 3x which is what most of the budget cameras have these days.
Anyway, I'm still playing with it. But I like it so far. Though I'm somewhat disappointed at its performance at distance shots (or shots without flash) in low light conditions.
Here's the review at DC Resource.
Sunday, June 08, 2008
Harvey Korman
Harvey Korman, an Emmy-winning comedic actor best known for playing the self-described "luminous second banana" for a decade on television's "The Carol Burnett Show" and for starring in such Mel Brooks films as "Blazing Saddles," has died. He was 81.
Korman, who had undergone several major operations, died Thursday at UCLA Medical Center of complications from an abdominal aortic aneurysm that ruptured four months ago, his daughter, Kate Korman, told The Times.
With a knack for physical humor and oddball accents, Korman was a master sketch comic who did his best-known work on Burnett's variety show beginning in 1967 in an ensemble that included Tim Conway.
Korman, who had undergone several major operations, died Thursday at UCLA Medical Center of complications from an abdominal aortic aneurysm that ruptured four months ago, his daughter, Kate Korman, told The Times.
With a knack for physical humor and oddball accents, Korman was a master sketch comic who did his best-known work on Burnett's variety show beginning in 1967 in an ensemble that included Tim Conway.
Monday, June 02, 2008
children burn toy guns
GAUHATI, India -- Hundreds of children from a village in India's insurgency-wracked northeast have burned their toy guns in a symbolic protest against the violence that surrounds them, activists said Thursday.
The children, all younger than 13, held their protest Wednesday, carrying placards reading "We hate toy guns, We love football" as they marched to the local high school playground to light the bonfire.
Villagers said the protest was a reaction to the violence in Manipur, where at least 17 rebel groups have been fighting for independent homelands or autonomy. More than 5,000 people have been killed in the fighting in the past 10 years.
The children, all younger than 13, held their protest Wednesday, carrying placards reading "We hate toy guns, We love football" as they marched to the local high school playground to light the bonfire.
Villagers said the protest was a reaction to the violence in Manipur, where at least 17 rebel groups have been fighting for independent homelands or autonomy. More than 5,000 people have been killed in the fighting in the past 10 years.
free online classifieds
The world's leading retailer is once again taking a stab at a hot online trend -- this time, free Internet classifieds. Taking a potshot at both Craigslist and eBay's Kijiji, Wal-Mart has turned to Oodle to power a platform for the sale of local goods.
Living with Less
It is becoming increasingly clear that the Earth cannot sustain our continuous overindulgence in its resources. We have grown to be a culture that figures out how much we can get away with instead of how little we can get by with. From eating super-sized meals, to driving gas-guzzling cars, to living in big homes and using lots of water and electricity, we tend to overdo it. By and large, we are relatively unaware how much we have and use.
While living in Africa serving in the Peace Corps, I saw how little most people survive on and what ingenious use they made of "trash." For example, they cut up metal cans to collect rain water from their roofs and fashioned sandals from discarded tires.
I greatly appreciate our comforts and abundance but am dismayed at how much we waste. I wish we could load up Matson liners with all the extra stuff we accumulate for garage sales and donate it to needy countries.
If each of us does our part to cut down our consumption, donate to others and share our resources in the spirit of aloha, the whole world would be more sustainable. Let's do more by using less.
Suzanne Hammer
Honolulu
While living in Africa serving in the Peace Corps, I saw how little most people survive on and what ingenious use they made of "trash." For example, they cut up metal cans to collect rain water from their roofs and fashioned sandals from discarded tires.
I greatly appreciate our comforts and abundance but am dismayed at how much we waste. I wish we could load up Matson liners with all the extra stuff we accumulate for garage sales and donate it to needy countries.
If each of us does our part to cut down our consumption, donate to others and share our resources in the spirit of aloha, the whole world would be more sustainable. Let's do more by using less.
Suzanne Hammer
Honolulu
Speed Reading
I don't know how good this Magic Speed Reading software is, but the site has some interesting articles on how to speed read. Or at least, how not to read so slow.
Sunday, June 01, 2008
Steve & Barry's (my kind of store)
Steve & Barry’s, for the uninitiated, is to fashion what Tower once was to music. Steve & Barry’s is manna, a store that sells stylish celebrity-branded clothes at prices that are absurdly inexpensive, lower than those at Old Navy, H & M or Forever 21, undercutting even Wal-Mart by as much as half.
At its 264 barnlike stores in malls across the country, including the perpetually mobbed one at the Manhattan Mall in Midtown, Steve & Barry’s offers an assortment of flowery sundresses designed by Sarah Jessica Parker ($8.98), heart-printed hoodies by the Nickelodeon alumna Amanda Bynes ($8.98) and basketball shoes by the New York Knicks point guard Stephon Marbury ($8.98). Lines at the registers are often 20 deep.
The question on everyone’s lips: How do they make a decent dress or a jacket, with sleeves, or a pair of functioning shoes for $8.98?
At its 264 barnlike stores in malls across the country, including the perpetually mobbed one at the Manhattan Mall in Midtown, Steve & Barry’s offers an assortment of flowery sundresses designed by Sarah Jessica Parker ($8.98), heart-printed hoodies by the Nickelodeon alumna Amanda Bynes ($8.98) and basketball shoes by the New York Knicks point guard Stephon Marbury ($8.98). Lines at the registers are often 20 deep.
The question on everyone’s lips: How do they make a decent dress or a jacket, with sleeves, or a pair of functioning shoes for $8.98?
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